Chelsea star N’Golo Kante joins Al-Ittihad in the 2023 summer transfer window. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
According to the Evening Standard, star Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is back in full training ahead of the resumption of club football from this weekend onwards.
The 31-year-old French international, who picked up a hamstring injury while playing against Tottenham Hotspur on August 14, has been out for over a month.
However, the club confirms that there has been a step-up in the midfielder’s recovery and he has joined full team training. This is a massive boost for the Blues given the midfielder’s ability and importance to the team.
During his absence, Chelsea played four Premier League and two Champions League games. It could have been more had the games against Fulham and Liverpool hadn’t been postponed. It had to be done though due to the death of the Queen.
The Blues lost three of those six games, drawing one and winning two by close margins. It was clear that they were missing Kante in the middle to command that area of the field.
Along with the 2018 World Cup winner, the club welcomes back first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to near full fitness after he picked up an injury against West Ham United earlier this month.
It is no secret that Chelsea become a better team with Kante in it. The issue with him is that he has been missing a lot of games due to injuries in the past year or so. Moreover, the Frenchman is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, with no agreement on an extension yet.
Manager Graham Potter has to be careful using the 31-year-old in the window of games coming up before the World Cup break. More than that, if the midfielder continues to have an impact as we expect him to, the talks of a contract extension need to start soon – unless they have a replacement in mind for next summer.
Hopefully, Kante can make a case for himself in that regard when we take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in a London derby on October 1. If he is match-fit to feature against the Eagles, however, remains to be seen.
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